Line painting apparatus



March '5; 1940. L w, CORNEUSQN 2,192,433

' LINE PAINTING APPARATUS l Filed Jan. 7, 1939 m." l YM M ,'zTToRNEx/S.r

Psa-nad Mu. s, 1940 UNITED ISTATI?.

2,192,433 LINE PAINTING APPARATUS Lawrence W.

assigner of one-half San Francisco, Calif.

Application January 7,

6 Claims.

My invention relates to line painting apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for painting trailic markings on highways.

An object of my invention is to provide improved apparatus (1) For automatically .painting interrupted line markings;

(2) For painting interrupted line umarkings wherein the segments thereof follow a prede-f termined pattern; i

(3) For enabling repainting of an interrupted line/with assurance of closely matching the original;

(4)- For simultaneously paintinga plurality of parallel lines, periodically interrupted in accordance with a predetermined pattern;

(5) For painting interrupted line markings having sharply deiined boundaries at the interruptions:

20. (6) Fgr automatically providing an interrupted line of predetermined characteristics, irrespective of the rate of travel of the apparatus employed for producing such interrupted line;

(7) For providing interrupted operation of a 25, spray gun in accordance with a predetermined sequence.

(8) Additional objects of my invention will be brought out in the following description of the same, taken in conjunction with the accompany- I 30v ing drawing, wherein Fig. l is a side elevational view oi'1 apparatus incorporating my invention.

Fig. 2 isa plan view of a portion of the apparatus of Fig. 1. on a somewhat enlarged scale with respect to that of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in section of control apparatus constituting an important element of the combination illustrated in Figsl and 2.

'I'he apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2 embodies the 40 invention in the form of a novel combination, whereas the apparatus of Fig. .3, which has been referred to as the control apparatus, constitutes the construction which lends novelty to the combination. While the invention is adaptedvfor general ap`- plication, the apparatus illustrated in the figures and which will be described herein, has been specifically designed for' the painting of tramo markings on highways, and more particularly for 50 the `production of such traiiicmarkings in the form of interrupted lines, for example, a series ,of line segments of similar length or differing lengths arranged in accordance with a predetermined pattern or sequence; Highway mark- 55. ings of thisgeneral character, are more readily Cornelison, San Francisco, Calif.,

to Louise E. Cornelisom 1939, sensi No. 249,754

perceptible and consequently more emcient in guiding tralc along highways. In addition to this advantage, an interrupted line marking enables a decided saving in paint and lacquer, such saving running in the order of depending on. the relative spacing between line segments.

The combination for obtaining such results, includes as one of its elements a` carriage I comprising Ia platform 3 supported upon wheels 5, and either manually or self propelled, or the i0 same may be motivated by means of an independent automotive vehcle coupled thereto at the rear. The platform is employed to carry an air compressor'l and an expansion -tank 9 coupled thereto by vmeans of an air line connection II, 16 the expansion tank in turn supplying a continuous iiow of air, under pressure, to a paint tank I3 which carries the lacquer or paint employed in laying down the line markings on the highway. The compressor, if the platform is manu- 20 ally or self propelled, will preferably be driven from a source of primary power such as a gasoline engine I5 which is carried upon the platform and coupled to the compressor.

At the front edge of the platform, that is, look- 88 ing in the direction in which the carriage I-is to be propelled, is hingedly coupled a frame I1 lof a. tapering construction, and 'comprising a pair of side rails I9, each provided at its free end with a bearing for mounting a guide wheel 2l of I0 any desired construction, which contacts the road surface, serving to support the frame I'I at its forward end and at the same time, enabling an operator to guide the apparatus along a predetermined path.

Intermediate the guide wheel ZI and the platform 3, and at a. location somewhat closer to the guide wheel than to the platform, a spray gun -23 is mounted \on the frame between the side rails thereof, the spray ygun being of any type, o but more particularly one inwhich the paint or lacquer. is adapted---to--be atomized by air under compressionfasthe paint or lacquer issues from the nozzle of the spray gun, such spray gun being customarily valve operated and having -a valve control lever 25 at one side thereof enabling control of the operation of the spray gun.

" The valve control lever 25 will normally occupy, a position with the spray gn valve closed. and a stop 21 aflixed to the casing in the path of travel of the valve lever will serve to determine the maximum movement of the lever, which in turn will determine the maximum opening of the spray gun valve.

At either side of the-spray gun, and adjustably f of the spray gun 50 from the expansion tank 9. A direct compressed mounted on the side rails of the frame, are linewidth determining side plates 29 for limiting the lateral width of the spray issuing from the spray gun, and as a result, controlling the width of the line which is being laid down. The plates 29 are' adjustably mounted, ias stated, to enable such Plates to be lowered into contact with the road surface, to preclude the escape of the paint or lacquer beyond th boundaries determined by the plates, and thus assuring a painted line of uniform width.

The lacquer or paint with which the line is to be painted, is conducted to the spray gun 23 from thepaint tank I3, under theA existing pressure-offthe air inthe tank', such pressure resulting from the air line coupling to the paint tank air connection 3| to the spray gun from the expansion tank is also provided, such air connection serving to atomize the paint as it leaves the nozzle ofthe spray gun.

Mounted on the frame intermediate the spray gun and the platform is the iiow controlling apparatus 33, depicted on a somewhat enlarged scale in Fig. 2 and ona somewhat larger scale, in section; in.Fig. 3. This apparatus comprises a base.

35 supported upon parallel cross members 31 interconnecting' the side rails I9 of the frame I1, this basebeing formed to provide a guideway 39 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the frame.

Reciprocally mounted in the guideway 39 on the base 35 is a rack 4| which in its normal non-operating position will be located at the front end of the base. 'Ihe rack is spring biased -t'o this normal position. by a pair of springs 43 interconnecting 'the rear end 4 5 of the rack to a cross member 41 spanning the guideway 33 and supported on the base member 35. ,A

The front end of the rack isformed'with an `upstanding perforated lug 49 adapted to receive and have bolted thereto, one end oi.a control rod 5|, the other end vof which extends through an opening in the valve control lever 25 to a point somewhat beyond such lever. 'I'he end" of the rod at this point is threaded and carries a coil spring 53 intermediate the control lever and a Washer nut combination 55 threaded to this end of the control rod. Such spring is preferably under very slight compression tending to throw the valve control lever 25 to a valve op'en position,

but is precluded from doing this by a stop nut 51 threaded on the control rod in abutment against the valve control lever in itsv valve closed position and on the side opposite tothat -engaged by the spring 53.

Tle base is formed with a pair of integral bearing supportingiuprights 59, one to each side.

of therack member' guideway, and on each of these uprights, a y,bearing 8| is mounted. A pinion 53, afxed to a shaft 35 which is journaled in these bearings 8|, is thereby supported intermediate the upright ,members 59 directly over the rear end portion of the rack 4`| and in engageable relationship therewith. This pinion "83 is of the segmented type, that is, its teeth do not extend aroundA the entire periphery of the pinion, but are grouped at spaced intervals thereabouts, and upon rotation of the pinion in a clockwise direction (Fig. 1), such grouped teeth are adapted to engage the teeth of the rack member and retract the rack member from its normal position' adjacent the front end of the base 35.

The shaft to which the segmented pinion 53 is fixed, extends beyond one of the bearings 5| and on this extended portion of the shaft there direction as previously stated, but providing a l slipping engagement when the drive through the clutch is attempted in the reverse direction. The driving member 13 of the clutch is spring biased into engagement with thel driven' member 61 by means of a spring 11 interposed between the driving member and an enlarged'end or knob 13 aiiixed to the end of the shaft 35.

A sprocket 8|, integrally formed with the driving element of the clutch, enables a chain drive y connection tothe flow control apparatus from any suitable driving means. 'Ihe driving elef ment 13 of the clutch is further provided with a peripheral groove 83 eri'gageable by a clutch throwout mechanism in the form of a lever 85 extending rearwardly to within control of an operator and having at its clutch end a yoke or fork 81 spanning and engaging the grooved portion of the driving member, they clutch throwout lever 85 being pivoted-atan intermediate point 83 enabling the. clutch to be manually disengaged at will of an operator. Suitable latching means 3| may be provided for retaining the lever 85 in its clutch throwout position.

A chain -drive lconnection 32 to the sprocket 8| of the flow control apparatus is established from the guide wheel 2 I, through a sprocket 93 amxed to the guide wheel shaft 95, which'shaft extends beyond one of the frame rails I9 sulciently to carry such sprocket.

In the operation of the apparatus described, the guide wheel not only performs its function of enabling the operator to guide the apparatus along a` predetermined path, but also serves as the driving means for the flow control apparatus. With the clutch lever in its clutch engaging position, such a driveconnection will. be established from the guide wheel to the control apparatus, and cause continuous rotation of the segmented pinion duringv travel of the guide wheel, thereby bringing. about intermittent engagement of the rack. 'During engagement with the rack, a complete rearward movement of the rack against the restoring action of the springs 43 will take place until the last tooth of the group disengages the rack, at which instant the segmented pinion 63 is no longer in engagement with the rack,- and the rack is accordingly free to snap back to its normal position in response to the restoring action of the springs 43.

The effect of such movement on the part ofthe rack is to produce intermittent operation ofthe spray gun, by reason of the control rod connection from the rack member to the valve controlr` lever 25 of the lspray gun. Thus, as the control valve lever is urged toward a valve oyen posi-v tion' in response to the relatively slow` rearward movement of the rack during a period ofengagement with thesegmented pinion, It will complete its full swing within a small Initial portion of the/'rearward travel of the rack. after which` the remainderof such rearward travel merely serves to draw the frontend of the control rodil er compression of the spring and at the same time holding the valve control lever 25 in full valve d open position. Upon the completion of the rearlward stroke of the rack, the control rod will snap .back toits original position in response to the sudden return movement of therack. and in this it is aided by the spring 53 at the end of therod.

vment of the control rod, the pressure of the spring 5,3 tending tojhold the valve lever in full open position is released, to be followed by abutment of the nut l1 against the lever, forcing it sudc denly from a full open position to a fully closed position, thus bringing about a cutoff of the paint ilow from the nzle. of the spray gun.

Thus, it will be apparent that the spray gun will spray paint 'or lacquer throughout substan- I0 tially the entire interval that the tal pin- 1^ -ion i3 is in engagement with the rack Il. Inas-4 much as such interval isdetermined by the nu'mber of teeth-inl any oxfe group on the segmented pinion, and the period between such rack' engaging intervals is determined by the spacing between the groups'of teeth, it will lfollow that the line formed through operation of the dow control apparatus will be of the interrupted type,

and that the character of auch interruptions, that is, the pattern created, will be determined by the number of groups of teeth 'and the number of .teeth in each group. and the spacing of such groups about the periphery of the pinion. The ratio of spacing to the-peripheral distances occupied by such groups will determine the length of line segments and the spacings therebetween. Without destroying this 'ratio of line segments to spacings, the linear dimension of both will simultaneously vary with the speed ratio between the guide wheel and the pinion, but will be independent of the speed at which the guide wheel may be caused to rotate.

'I'he number of teeth to a group and the spacings between groups need not be uniform for any particular pinion. .A uniform arrangement will give a uniformly interrupted line, whereas 'detherefrom will enable the production of lines of many desired patterns.

A number of such flow control apparatus,l as has been described, may furthermore be arranged side by side to simultaneouesiy produce a plurality of parallel lines, in which case the pinions may be mounted upon a common'shaft and driven through a common clutch.

. While I have described a preferredembodiment of my invention in great detail, it is 'apparent that it is subjectv to many modiiicatio'ns within the contemplated scope of my invention, and I ac- .eordinglydonotdesiretobeiimitedtoany speciilc detail described, except as may be necessitated bythe prior art and the appended claims.

` 1. apparatus' for controlling` the mw or liquid rack (orA connection t0 war sus. a. cemented minion enmaadspted. 1190.11 rotation. .f'topeilodioiilymovesdidrackinoppositiontothe During lthe course of such sudden return movev pinion including a guide wheel anda drive connection between said guide-wheel and said segmented pinion.

2. Apparatus for controlling the flow oi' liquid from a spray gun moving along a desired. path,`

comprising a segmented pinion,- rotatable in accordance with-movement of such spray gun, a toothed member engageable by said segmented pinion' during rotation of said pinion to provide intermittent movement of said toothed member and means for effecting connection from said toothed member to said spray gun to control operation thereot in accordance with such intermittent movement of said toothed member.

3. Apparatus for controlling the flow of liquid from a spray gun moving. along a desired path,

comprising a segmented pinion, rotatable in accordance with movement of such spray gun, a rack engageable by said segmented pinion'during rotation of said pinion to provide intermitten movement of said rack, and meansfor effecting connection from said rack to said spray gun to control operation of said spray gun in accordance with such intermittent movement of said rack.v

4. Apparatus for controlling the flow of liquid from a spray gun moving along a desired path, comprising a segmented pinion, a guide wheel ifi drive connection with said segmented pinion, a toothed member engageable by said segmented pinion during.' rotation of said pinion to provide intermittent movement of said toothed member, and means for effecting connection from said toothed member to said spray gunto control operation thereof in accordance with `such intermittent movement of said toothed member..

5. Apparatus for controlling the flow of liquid 4.from a spray gun or the like comprising a base,

a. rack supported on said base and .capable of reciprocatory movement thereon, means for re1- estricting said rack to such reciprocatory movement, spring means for biasing said rack to one extreme. position of its range of movement, a pinion having teeth disposed in groups at-intervals about itsperiphery, means for supporting said pinion in engageable relationship with said rack, said last -means having a sprocket thereon for establishing a drive connection to said pinion.

6. Apparatus for controlling the now of liquid from a spray gun or the like comprising a base, a rack supported on said base and capable of reclprocatory movement thereon, means for restricting said rackto such reciprocatory movement, spring means for biasing said rack to one vextreme position of its range of movement, a

.IAWBINOI W, 60min-180K. 

